Blood on the streets

nick ferrari and others on LBC have form when it comes to dedicating entire shows to trotting out anti cycle propaganda to the point where you'd be forgiven for thinking it's editorial policy. they are a commercial station whose core audience appear to be angry traffic jam bound commuters and pig ignorant london cabbies, so it's hardly surprising.

I did wonder why (when I hit auto-search the other day) I had what I thought was cab-driver-only radio in my car.

bbc london aren't much better. Paul Ross pays Road Tax doncha know.

I did find that I both hated immo's and loved Diana more by the time I got to the supermarket.

http://www.lbc.co.uk/police-catching-cyclists-who-break-the-law-81518

^ Witnessed this this morning. All down Mile End Road on all the major junctions. I guess Boris needs numbers to back up his cuntish take on things last week.

Also witnessed: a lorry driver with a tabloid on his steering wheel (he did not get caught).

£50 for not wearing a helmet? I'd like to have that discussion with a police officer.

i doubt that's the case, not even the fucking met are that thick.

london met, sponsored by wiggle...

http://pbs.twimg.com/media/BZV1JWWCIAIAVX9.png

http://www.lbc.co.uk/police-catching-cyclists-who-break-the-law-81518

And even this sign doesn't help.

It should say 'Drivers, watch out for cyclists going straight ahead"

Interesting, it looks like Boris's remarks have struck a chord and the police are reinforcing the impression that concentrating on cyclists' behaviour is the solution:

There's often a 'fog of war' effect here too.

For example, there have been reports that shortly before being hit by a bus, the chap who was hit on November 13 and died in the small hours of November 14, had ridden the wrong way out of Leman Street. But it's not clear if that had anything to do with the collision, and the source is TfL, whose representatives were reported to be extremely robust in their defence of the original Cycle Superhighway design of Bow roundabout at the inquest in the death of Brian Dorling. TfL was warned by London Cycling Campaign and their own engineering consultants that the design of CS2 was dangerous, but they built it anyway.

A few weeks ago, the Crown Prosecution Service decided not to bring a case against TfL after the death of Deep Lee at King's Cross, in large part because the junction where she died had been designed before the corporate manslaughter law was introduced.

(Details here: http://kingscrossenvironment.com/2013/10/22/tfl-escapes-corporate-manslaughter-charges-over-2011-kings-cross-cyclist-death/)

TfL has no such escape clause in the case of CS2 and it's obvious from their conduct at the Dorling inquest, their attempt to defame the man who died on November 14 and Boris Johnson's subsequent remarks about cyclists who take risks that the Mayor and TfL are, to put it bluntly, shitting themselves.

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/nov/17/cyclists-dead-london-roads-safer?commentpage=1

lowest hanging fruit, innit.

Mate was stopped on Vauxhall Bridge by the old bill this morning and asked why he didn't have a helmet. "Just trying to keep you safe sir".

This morning I got stopped by the police on Vauxhall Bridge.

-Hi, we’re stopping all cyclists in light of the recent cyclist fatalities, to make sure that you’re making yourselves as safe as possible. Obviously it’s great that you have lights on and are wearing a helmet, but have you considered wearing a hi-viz jacket?
-No, I’ve got really bright lights, reflective material on my coat and my bike, and I position myself in the road so that I can be seen.
-I just think that if a driver wasn’t wearing their glasses then they might not be able to see you.
-Do you not think that a driver driving around half-blind is more the problem??
-Well, we’re just here to talk to cyclists. We don’t know yet why so many cyclists are being killed but there are a lot of bad cyclists out there.
-There are a lot of bad drivers too, perhaps you should talk to them as they’re the ones doing the killing.
-Okay, well, get some hi-viz.

I’m fucking furious. Is victim blaming now policy??

That is outrageous. You should complain to the Met
(In fact I'm at a meeting tomorrow with someone from the Met cycle safety task force. I will raise this with them)

I'm absolutely fuming, I can hardly think straight. We had a bit of a chat about why advising cyclists to wear hi-viz was less effective than suggesting that people had cycle training (are you proud of me?!) but clearly we were coming at things from different angles so I went on my way. I'm really angry and will definitely be complaining to the Met.

In the officer's defence, he used the word "accident" and when I corrected him he said he agreed with me. Still pissed off though.

That policeman is Mr Garrison and I claim my five pounds.

It's gone beyond parody, which is very sad.

..why advising cyclists to wear hi-viz was less effective than suggesting that people had cycle training (are you proud of me?!) but clearly we were coming at things from different angles

Very proud;)
And very different angles. It's classic road safety where we tolerate the worst driving for fear of... of what i'm not sure...the motoring lobby? so need to protect and blame people not in cars.

many places (some borough and even TfL to some extent) have moved to more enlightened road danger reduction views. The Met are slow to change this dinosaur approach.

This morning I got stopped by the police on Vauxhall Bridge.

-Hi, we’re stopping all cyclists in light of the recent cyclist fatalities, to make sure that you’re making yourselves as safe as possible. Obviously it’s great that you have lights on and are wearing a helmet, but have you considered wearing a hi-viz jacket?
-No, I’ve got really bright lights, reflective material on my coat and my bike, and I position myself in the road so that I can be seen.
-I just think that if a driver wasn’t wearing their glasses then they might not be able to see you.
-Do you not think that a driver driving around half-blind is more the problem??
-Well, we’re just here to talk to cyclists. We don’t know yet why so many cyclists are being killed but there are a lot of bad cyclists out there.
-There are a lot of bad drivers too, perhaps you should talk to them as they’re the ones doing the killing.
-Okay, well, get some hi-viz.

I’m fucking furious. Is victim blaming now policy??

This is exactly what I was worried about coming from the recent media stuff.

Anyone who spends any time in the saddle will realise that fluoro (or, let's be honest, a helmet) isn't going to do much against an inattentive driver. Hi viz will just blend into the background against all the rest of the hi viz the streets are littered with these days (building workers, maintenance workers, I even saw schoolkids on a walk the other day wearing sodding hi viz tabards).

This is a pathetic police response - particularly the mention of a driver 'not wearing their glasses'

And yes, cycle training - did it the other week and it was so good I went back for another session.

-I just think that if a driver wasn’t wearing their glasses then they might not be able to see you.

sake.

that LBC page has been updated:

As well as cyclists, 20 HGVs were stopped and 60 offences were found to be committed, including vehicles in dangerous condition and drivers who had been working too long.

20 lorries 60 offences?

its fucking abysmal. Helmets would save 1000s of car drivers annually as well. where's the fucking road blocks on the M25 full of police handing out 'safety advice'?

Vauxhall bridge: I have had cause to say this to a copper in the past, and I would suggest recalling it when one becomes apoplectic as you hats, understandably, have:

'Go about your business'.